Fire destroys Clio apartment building

By Tiffiny Woo

Published: August 21, 2008

CLIO—Tanisha Hawkins and her small son, Michael, live right above the apartment that caught fire Thursday at approximately 2 p.m. at Clio’s Pinewood Apartments.

When she opened her apartment door, smoke billowed into her apartment so badly, she could barely see.

“We couldn’t see ... we just ran,” she said.

By the time she and her son got outside, she could see flames coming out of her apartment window.

Her neighbor below her, Virginia Rumph, was at work when his apartment caught fire. He said he doesn’t know how the fire started or where he will stay now.

They were among several residents staying at the apartment building that caught fire.  At least eight apartments caught fire and four apartments were destroyed, according to Chief Deputy Eddie Ingram of the Barbour County Sheriff’s Department.

Clio City Clerk Vivian Hagler said the fire started in the bottom right apartment of the complex. Volunteer firefighter Mike Stell was one of many helping to fight the blaze, but like Rumph, he said he didn’t know how the fire started. He said an investigation into how the fire began would be conducted after the fire was contained.

Resident Naomi McLendon said, “Everything was gone” by the time she got home to her apartment at approximately 2:45 p.m.

She is not sure where she and her two children are going to stay now. Neither does resident Shantele Eutsie and her two children.